Archive for the ‘ Community Resources ’ Category

DeKalb Corn Fest was lucky to have funds in reserve when it moved from the downtown to DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport in 2008.

Year

Revenues

Expenses

Gain/Loss

Grants
Given

Ending
Fund
Balance

2004

129,016

153,600

-24,584

?

25,805

2005

174,734

140,839

33,895

?

59,700

2006

183,392

163,698

19,694

25,200

79,394

2007

167,509

156,174

11,335

3,000

90,699

2008

160,999

178,519

-17,520

4,000

73,179

2009

183,662

184,376

-1,014

300

72,165

2010

155,804

171,748

-15,944

None

56,221

Except for the “Lady Antebellum boost” in 2009, revenues have been trending downward. Revenues are no longer itemized on the tax forms, so we don’t know which categories have gotten hit.

The expense story is not so mysterious: expenses jumped with the move to the airport because site costs rose from $20,000 to $38,000.

It will be interesting to get last year’s numbers to see what effect, if any, the new parking fees had on the bottom line. You will recall that the City of DeKalb, not Corn Fest, benefits from the parking fees; nevertheless they could still affect attendance and spending.

I’ve attended several Task Force meetings. In my view, this whole exercise was started as another attempt by administrators to latch onto the teats of a new cash cow, aka DeKalb landlords. However, to my utter delight I have become a fan of the Task Force. This is no puppet committee.

Meanwhile, the cow in the form of DARA obviously is going to kick and kick hard; but please do not make the mistake of believing these ordinance proposals only affect landlords. Come for the potential fireworks but stay for a conversation that ultimately will involve all of us.

Farmers and Traders State Bank, Shabbona, Illinois, was closed today by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First State Bank, Mendota, Illinois, to assume all of the deposits of Farmers and Traders State Bank.

The two branches of Farmers and Traders State Bank will reopen on Saturday as branches of First State Bank. Depositors of Farmers and Traders State Bank will automatically become depositors of First State Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits.
…
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $8.9 million. Compared to other alternatives, First State Bank’s acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC’s DIF.

You heard it here (and perhaps only here) that FTSB accepted a consent order from FDIC last summer in response to charges of “unsafe or unsound banking practices and violations of law, rule, or regulation related to its Compliance Management System alleged to have been committed by the Bank.”

DeKalb City Council Chambers will serve as the setting for a candidates’ night on Thursday evening involving some of the candidates City of DeKalb residents will vote on, and will include a telecast on Channel 14, the city’s public access channel.

The newly reconstituted League of Women Voters of DeKalb County (LWVDC) is hosting. Participating candidates of non-contested races will provide short presentations about themselves and their platforms, while contested races will involve questions from the audience as well.

The DeKalb Area Rental Association (DARA) formed last summer has recently launched its website, called daranow.com.

It’s probably safe to say it’s not a coincidence in timing that DARA was conceived just a few months after the mayor first appointed his Safe/Quality Housing Task Force, and easy to see DARA’s formation at least partly as a defensive measure against the suspected return of the Rental Inspection Program agenda.

However, DARA is already more than an “anti” group. The organization is establishing Building Watch on multi-unit properties, has recently hosted a public meeting about Building Watch with DeKalb police, and is aiming to dovetail these efforts with existing Neighborhood Watch activities.

DARA has also taken upon itself the task of video recording Task Force meetings. A member tells me the recordings will be uploaded to YouTube and linked to the DARA website for easy public access.

The Safe/Quality Housing Task Force will next meet February 28 from 4-6 p.m. in the Municipal Building, council chambers.

Ms. Dwyer has been shepherding a proposal through the legislative process to allow City of DeKalb residents to keep up to five hens for their eggs. City council has so far assigned the draft ordinance to the Citizens’ Environmental Commission and the Planning & Zoning Commission for their recommendations, and these bodies are expected to consider the matter next month.

If the ordinance passes as written, each property owner with a hen permit and a lot size of 10,000 square feet or more will be allowed to keep hens on his or her property.

The UUF hall is on the southeast corner of Fourth and Locust. The informational program begins at 7 p.m.

Pretty soon, “Y” members who live on the south side of DeKalb may no longer have to travel to the YMCA’s Bethany Road facilities for lap swims and cardio workouts.

Our YMCA will be opening a NEW Y Site at the current Huntley Middle School location on at 1515 S. 4th Street in DeKalb! The Y will have use of the pool on certain days and also the lobby area for exercise equipment. In all, the site will feature 32 pieces of cardio equipment, a dumbbell and stretching area and 3 50″ TV’s.

The new facility is part of a larger program of improvements planned for 2012, which includes renovations to its multi-purpose room and expansion of parking area at the Bethany Road site.

Sustainability Plan Presentation: Tuesday, October 11, 7 p.m. in DeKalb City Council Chambers. Sponsored by DeKalb’s Citizens Environmental Commission, this presentation is designed to introduce the public to the nuts and bolts of creating a citywide sustainability plan. Featured presenter is Aaron Cosentino from the City of Elgin. Cosentino worked with over 100 volunteers to develop a sustainability plan that was adopted by Elgin in August.

An often quoted definition for sustainability is the one put forth by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development: “Sustainability meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

However it is important for each city to arrive at the definition of sustainability which best suits its bioregion and community. The definition making process should include the social, economic, and environmental needs of the community.

DeKalb County/Area League of Women Voters-to-be: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 p.m. in the basement room of Kish Corner Family Restaurant, Sycamore. Anyone who is interested or thinks s/he might be interested in helping reorganize a local chapter of LWV is welcome to attend.